Einride procures 500 Tesla Semi trucks

Einride, a provider specialising in electric and autonomous freight transport, wants to expand its electric fleet in the USA with 500 Tesla Semi trucks. The battery-powered trucks are to be used, among other things, for Amazon's logistics operations.

Einride has announced a partnership with Tesla to prepare for the “world’s largest Tesla Semi deployment”. The model in question is Tesla’s battery-electric truck, which is set to be introduced in the US later this year following the launch of series production this spring at Gigafactory Nevada. Einride specifically announced that it will deploy “500 Tesla Semi trucks on its Saga AI platform for Amazon and other customers, converting signed contracts into revenue-generating freight capacity”.

Einride has not specified how the vehicles will be added to its fleet. The Swedish company, which is listed on the US stock exchange, refers to a newly agreed collaboration with Tesla. Whether the vehicles will be purchased, leased, or acquired through another type of agreement remains unclear. However, the scale of the procurement is evident: the 500 Semi units will expand Einride’s battery-electric truck fleet in the USA to 750 vehicles. This procurement will thus account for two-thirds of the company’s future electric fleet.

Regarding future deployment of the Semi fleet, Einride states that the electric trucks will operate across North America for its customers – with Amazon the only to be named explicitly. Specifically, new electric freight corridors are planned in California, Texas, New Jersey, Illinois, and Georgia. According to an accompanying statement, the procurement of the 500 units is set to begin in September 2026 and will be completed within two years. The financing is fully covered by third-party solutions, though Einride has not provided further details.

For context: Einride was founded in 2016 and is headquartered in Stockholm. The Swedish company initially aimed to deploy driverless commercial vehicles and has already developed a corresponding concept vehicle called the T-Pod. In recent years, however, the company’s core product has been the Saga AI software platform, which acts as an intelligent operating system for electric (and future autonomous) vehicle fleets, as well as charging and connectivity networks. This platform is designed to enable companies to transport goods in a more environmentally friendly and cost-effective way.

“As electric trucks introduce operating variables, such as charging time and energy costs that shift situationally, they require a sophisticated logistics approach to execute,” Einride stated in an announcement. Against this backdrop, Saga AI optimises a fleet of individual electric trucks into a coordinated network. To date, Saga AI has enabled over 19 million electric miles and 42,000 optimisation sessions worldwide.

“This deployment is yet another proof point that we can execute at the scale our customers demand,” says Roozbeh Charli, Chief Executive Officer of Einride. “Working closely with Tesla to bring next-generation Semis into active operations quickly and at scale is a testament to the strength of that partnership, and how quickly this technology is maturing from promise to daily operations.”

“Einride is at the forefront of sustainable freight and we are thrilled to deepen our relationship with them through this order of 500 Semis,” responds Dan Priestley, Director of Semi at Tesla. “EV heavy trucks provide lower costs per mile from fuel savings, reduced maintenance, and better uptime over diesel trucks. These savings increase further through operational efficiency when deploying EV trucks at scale, and we are excited that Einride recognizes this and look forward to supporting their deployments.”

The partners also emphasised that customers will gain “earlier access” to the Tesla Semi through Einride. The electric truck is manufactured in a dedicated facility adjacent to Gigafactory Nevada. As Electrek reported at the start of production in April, the plant is designed for an annual capacity of 50,000 trucks, though production will be ramped up gradually – with immediate output at this level not expected. Nevertheless, the start of series production marks a decisive moment for Tesla. The economies of scale from mass production are intended to reduce the Semi’s price to $290,000 and $260,000 for the Long-Range and Standard versions, respectively. At these prices, the model is set to become the most cost-effective Class 8 battery-electric tractor on the US market, according to industry experts. At the same time, the Semi outperforms some of its ageing competitors in terms of technical specifications.

Today, a few Tesla Semi trucks are already seen sporadically on US roads. These initial units were largely hand-built on a pilot line. Most of these pre-production vehicles are believed to be part of Tesla’s own fleet, with an additional 36 units confirmed in PepsiCo’s California fleet. Tesla began production of the first pre-production Semi units in the USA in October 2022. In the three years that followed, Tesla focused on “refining the design, cutting roughly 1,000 lbs from the truck, and building out a dedicated factory adjacent to Gigafactory Nevada in Sparks,” according to Electrek. In February, the manufacturer released the final production specifications, confirming two variants: a Standard Range with 325 miles of range (~523 km) and a gross vehicle weight of 82,000 pounds (around 37.2 tonnes), and a Long Range with 500 miles of range (~800 km).

Both variants feature a powertrain with three integrated electric motors delivering up to 800 kW of power, as well as batteries with capacities of 548 kWh and 822 kWh. Further specifications can be found here. Another key point: the Semi is designed to support megawatt charging at 1.2 MW. Corresponding charging infrastructure is currently being developed in parts of the USA.

The charging hardware to be installed is Tesla’s 1.2-MW charging solution, announced last spring for the Semi and based on its proprietary V4 technology. Tesla also uses this technology to enhance the performance of its passenger vehicle chargers. The system is decentralised, consisting of slim satellite chargers and a separate technical unit, known as the Power Unit. When scaled up, the technology can achieve the stated 1.2 MW, which is expected to restore “the majority of its 800-kilometre range in half an hour” for the Semi.